Réalta
by rowdyteacup
Summary: "'Let's go out to dinner, hmm? Just you and me. There's something I want to talk to you about.'" Cal and Gillian find their way to each other. Involves stars, anniversaries and a beautiful black dress.


**A/N:** This story is set after Season 1 of Lie to Me, as if Seasons 2 and 3 never happen because I have not watched them yet. I am a little late to the Lie to Me party, I know, but I am loving every minute of it so far. And I am definitely aboard the Callian ship.

Réalta is Irish for 'star'. I am not Irish, I used Google Translate, so forgive me if the word has been used incorrectly. Also, I don't know if it is ever established how long Cal and Gillian have known each other, so for the purpose of this fanfiction I am making up an amount of eleven years.

Pairing: Cal/Gillian  
Rating: T (for mild swearing and adult themes)

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me or its characters. I am not making any profit from this work of fanfiction.**

* * *

It's been eight months since separating from Alec (six months since she filed for divorce) and all that time Gillian has been operating at 90% capacity – enough to get the job done, but Cal can see that her heart's not been completely in it. And that has been a problem.

Today, however, there has been a change.

Cal walks into her office and she swings around in her chair, and he can _see_ that the weight has lifted off her shoulders; he can see _her_. Finally. His mouth quirks up at the corners, crow's feet showing, and he tilts his head.

She leans back and looks at him, arching one eyebrow in question. He walks around the edge of her desk and leans against it. "You're looking better," he says, reaching down and touching her shoulder, rubbing her skin gently through her shirt. Oh, how starved he's been for physical contact with her. The real her; the one hundred percent Gill.

A smile starts to spread over her face and it's a smile that is so _Gillian_ – it makes his knees feel weak. He's too old for smiles like that to be directed at him. What if she chooses to smile that way as he's walking down a flight of stairs?

"Thanks, Cal," she answers. "I'm doing okay now. I did some soul searching this past week."

"And? You find anything?"

She stands up, a chuckle rolling off her lips. "Maybe," she whispers huskily and kisses the edge of his mouth.

With that, she walks out of her office, leaving Cal with a mixture of expressions playing out over his face. Surprise, happiness, and then he's going after her because he's just remembered that he has not actually gotten around to what he came to her office for in the first place – talking to her about the latest development in the case.

* * *

He lets this go on for about a month, enjoying the fact that his Gill is back and fighting fit, and she really does look _gorgeous_ in that skirt – and then he's had enough of waiting. Enough of pretending to himself and to her that they're better off without each other. His feelings; oh those he'd acknowledged years ago. He wishes he hadn't, as it's always easier to tell a lie that you really believe in, but it had been done and now here he is, sitting in his chair, staring vacantly out in front of him as he tries to decide how best to tell her.

He isn't afraid that she won't feel the same way. He knows enough about reading faces to know that she's really attracted to him. But does she _love_ him? Enough to want to be with him? That is the scary part. He knows that once he tells her how he feels, there's no going back. He's all or nothing and with Gillian, well, nothing is not an option any more. If she _does_ feel the same way, she will stick around for the long haul, that's for sure. She has proven that already, when his schemes fail or when he shouts at her. She never leaves.

So that he isn't afraid of. He just needs to find some way to tell her that a life with her holds more promise than his doubts; that taking a risk is less painful than continuing to deny what he feels for her. Well, honesty is supposed to be the best policy, yeah? (He thinks that it's a good thing no one actually adheres to that, otherwise he'd be out of a job.)

* * *

Gillian has just gotten home – early for once as they haven't been too busy – and is sinking down onto her couch when her phone rings.

"You doin' anything tonight, love?"

She moves so that she can lie stretched out on the couch, head propped up on one armrest and feet on the other.

"I wasn't planning much, maybe some reading, why?"

"Let's go out to dinner, hmm? Just you and me. There's something I want to talk to you about."

Gillian thinks she detects a hint of nervousness in his tone and sits up. Cal Lightman, nervous? This is something new.

"Sure, what should I wear?" she asks.

"Something nice," he says. "This is a special occasion."

Gillian frowns slightly. Has she forgotten something? It's not his birthday; she never forgets those. The next thing that springs to mind is the anniversary of the day they met. They celebrate it every year. The first year, when Cal suggested they go out to celebrate, she wasn't sure whether it was really necessary, but went along to humour him. Now it's a standing tradition that they always try to uphold.

She gets up and checks the calendar on her kitchen counter; phone sandwiched between her shoulder and her ear.

"Oh crap," she says under her breath. She's been so preoccupied with the whole Alec drama these past few months that this very important date has sneaked up on her.

"You all right, Gill?" Cal's voice is concerned.

Whoops. She'd forgotten he was still there for a moment.

"I'm fine," she answers, smiling now. "Dinner sounds great."

"Fantastic. I'll pick you up at seven, yeah?"

"See you then, Cal."

It seems his nerves are rubbing off on her, as she now has butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. They've gone out to dinner several times before - and several times to celebrate this anniversary - so tonight shouldn't be any different, but she can sense a change in the air. If she's honest with herself, she has been feeling it coming for a while now.

She knows that she is very much in love with Cal Lightman, but has been so comfortable with their familiar, flirtatious banter that she hasn't done much about it (apart from that moment in her office about a month ago) for fear that he is just being playful and doesn't feel the same way. He's attracted, sure, but does he _love_ her? She doesn't want to risk admitting how she feels and then losing their friendship. But now; now she's tired of waiting. She needs to know if he loves her too. Only one way to find out...

She's just finishing her make-up when she hears a knock at the door.

She puts on a silver bracelet and then grabs her handbag. She sprays a bit of perfume on herself and in the air, walks through it, and then heads for the door where he's knocking again.

"Patience, Cal," she says softly as she fiddles with her keys.

"Ready to g... oh," his voice trails off and ends in a sort of surprised gasp when he sees her.

She's wearing a low-cut black dress with a halter neck. It's tight in all the right places, drawing his eyes over her curves. Her hair is wavy and he is _so_ tempted to run his fingers through it when he leans close to her and kisses her cheek to say hello. But he restrains himself and steps aside so that she can lock the door behind her. He offers her his arm and the touch of her fingers after seeing her in that dress is enough to make him stumble a little.

"Is something wrong?" Gillian asks as she tightens her grip, laughter in her voice.

"Nah, we're good," Cal says, quickly recovering from his momentary lapse in concentration.

Actually, she's having some trouble in the concentration department herself. Cal Lightman in a suit and tie, with his hair neatly brushed, is doing strange things to her pulse. And he smells so _good_.

They get to the car and he opens the door for her. Just as she sits down, he speaks.

"You look absolutely breathtaking, Gillian."

And the way Cal looks down at her then, with such loving intensity, it makes her heart skip a beat. Change is definitely in the air.

He closes the door and she uses the moment alone to compose herself.

"You're looking rather good yourself," she says when he sits down in the driver's seat. She winks at him and smiles.

* * *

Cal takes her to her favourite restaurant; the one that she doesn't go to a lot as it is so difficult to get in. The look of delight she gives him when she sees where they are makes the fact that he made three phone calls to book a table absolutely worth it.

They sit down and the waiter brings a bottle of champagne, and then takes their order.

Cal raises his glass and Gillian does the same. He marvels again at how beautiful she is. He's noticed the way she's looked at him tonight too, and he feels much more confident about what he is going to tell her.

"Happy eleventh anniversary of the day we met," he says, and they bring their glasses together.

"Happy anniversary," she echoes softly, a somewhat wistful expression on her face.

After their meal - which is incredible and Cal makes a mental note that he should definitely bring Gillian here again - they stay for dessert. She has an enormous piece of chocolate cake and he can't resist the apple pie. And then before she knows it, they're in his car again. She thinks that he's taking her home, and is a little disappointed that nothing else happened as she had such high hopes for this dinner. She wonders if perhaps she should make the first move, but dismisses the idea reluctantly. She doesn't want to risk their friendship if she's misread the situation, but _oh,_ she does want him so badly.

Cal sees the disappointment flash over Gillian's face, and works valiantly to hide a smile. He always has a trick up his sleeve; surely she'd know that by now?

* * *

It is when they turn onto the main road leading out of town that she realises they're not on their way back to her house.

"Where are we going?" she asks, worry competing with intrigue.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he teases, glancing over at her.

They drive for about half an hour, chatting on the way about everything and nothing (nothing about where they're going; he won't say a word no matter how many times she asks) and then Cal turns onto a gravel road next to a field, pulls over and stops the car. They're... nowhere, as far as Gillian can see. She looks around, smiling nervously.

"Cal? This is just an empty field. What's going on?"

"You'll see," he answers.

He gets out, leaving the car's lights on so that they can see a bit better, and they walk a little way into the field. She can see the outline of a nearby bench and they go over to it. Cal sits down and pats the seat beside him. Gillian sits next to him and he puts an arm around her, pulling her into his side for warmth. She tries to not be too distracted by how wonderful it feels to be this close to him.

"All right, now look up," he instructs softly.

She does and gasps. She can see thousands and thousands of stars, scattered through the sky like glitter. She's always been fascinated by astronomy, and of course Cal would know that she loves stars.

"You can see more of them here than in the city because there's less light pollution," he explains. "Could've taken you further out to see even more, but I didn't want to scare you."

"Thanks, I appreciate your consideration of my feelings," she says, laughing. "Rather unusual, don't you think?"

Cal pouts but she knows he's not offended. "Tonight's too beautiful to talk about past mistakes, love. I'd rather we talk about the future."

And here Gillian's butterflies come soaring back. She's pretty sure that it's now or never, and judging by the way tonight has gone, and the way Cal's been touching her, it's most certainly now.

He reaches out and takes her hand. "I'm really glad that I met you, Gill. I really don't know where I would be if it wasn't for you. You are my partner, in almost every sense of the word, and I am so grateful. You have helped to make The Lightman Group what it is, but even more importantly, you've shaped who I am. You are my friend, my best friend, and I... I don't ever want to lose you," he says.

Gillian gazes at him, a concerned crease appearing on her forehead. "You won't lose me, Cal. You're my best friend too. I'm not going anywhere."

He's happy to find no signs of deception when she says that (not that he can see a lot in the dark, but the moonlight and the headlights are enough for his purposes). He does, however, notice that her voice quivers a little when she says best friend.

"That being said," he continues, "I would be lying to myself if I said that I haven't spent a very great part of these eleven years loving you."

He pauses and gauges her reaction. His suspicions are correct. She wants to be more than his best friend if the turning up of her mouth and lifting of her cheeks in absolute joy is anything to go by.

"I've been loving you too," she replies carefully, but not bothering to try to hide what Cal has already seen on her face.

He smiles, but wants to make sure that his meaning is clear. He squeezes her hand and then shifts his slightly higher up so that he can rub his thumb over the inside of her wrist. She shivers and smiles and Cal feels like he's walking on air.

"I mean I really _love_ you, Gillian, and I want to be with you, if you will allow me."

"Yes, yes, yes I will," she says breathlessly and it sounds like an answer to a proposal, but that's okay because in a way, it is. They both know that neither of them are going to leave after this. And she couldn't be happier about it.

"Thank goodness," Cal whispers and then his lips are on hers and his hands are _finally_ in her hair, holding her in place as he makes up for eleven years of not kissing Gillian. Well, not kissing her _properly_. Cheek kisses are lovely, his lips anywhere on her skin is, but this is... This is his Gill just about climbing into his lap as she kisses him back with all she has, hands wandering and touching and digging into his jacket so that she doesn't lose her balance.

Eventually they need to breathe again and their kiss slows down; now little touches of her lips to his cheek, his to her jaw and the corner of her mouth. Then he cups her face in his hands and presses one more gentle kiss to her lips, as if to remind himself that he can do that now.

She is the first to find her voice. "I hate to put a stop to this, trust me I really hate to, but if we don't leave right now your car won't start."

It takes a moment for his brain to reboot and then he realises what she's talking about. "The lights!"

He gets up and grabs her hand, and then they're running towards the car, the threat of a flat battery not the only thing spurring them on.

It starts on the second try and they both sigh in relief that they'll be able to get home soon.

* * *

They're also both pretty relieved that they are finally _with_ each other. It's been such a long time of wanting and wishing and trying to not let the other see. A futile attempt on all sides, that was.

Cal is happy - so _happy_ \- that he will now be able to be there for Gillian, in every way, whenever she needs him. He's happy that he won't have to watch her be with other men who don't deserve her. Hell, he doesn't really deserve her either, but he's promised himself that he will try his best to make sure that her trust in him is not misplaced.

And Gillian is so happy. Happy that she can be with the man she's been looking for her whole life. The man she thought she found in Alec, and then _knew_ she found in Cal. Alec was such a poor substitute.

Cal is the real deal; the one who makes her heart race while simultaneously allowing her to feel absolutely safe. He's the one she wants to spend forever with. He's the one she has spent her working life with for the past eleven years, and now wants to spend the other half of her life with as well. He's the one she wants to be there for; the one she wants to support. He's just the _one_ , playful swagger, human lie detector and all.

Cal helps her to be one hundred and ten percent Gillian, and for that, she loves him.


End file.
